Category: Classical

Sergey Prokofiev / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton – The Symphonies Scythian Suite And The Suite From Rome & Juliet, Lieutenant Kijé The Love Fro Three Orange (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sergey Prokofiev / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton - The Symphonies Scythian Suite And The Suite From Rome & Juliet, Lieutenant Kijé The Love Fro Three Orange (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sergey Prokofiev / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton – The Symphonies Scythian Suite And The Suite From Rome & Juliet, Lieutenant Kijé The Love Fro Three Orange (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF-Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
5x Discs / Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet
Total Size: 18.1 GB (ISO) + 55.3 GB (DSF) + 20.9 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: BIS Records | EU | Cat#: BIS-2594 SACD | Genre: Classical

Celebrating the 130th anniversary of Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953), the present box set brings together recordings of his seven symphonies made by Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra between 2012 and 2017. Continue reading “Sergey Prokofiev / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton – The Symphonies Scythian Suite And The Suite From Rome & Juliet, Lieutenant Kijé The Love Fro Three Orange (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Marin Marais / Le Concert Des Nations / Jordi Savall – Alcione – Tragédie Lyrique 1706 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Marin Marais / Le Concert Des Nations / Jordi Savall - Alcione - Tragédie Lyrique 1706 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Marin Marais / Le Concert Des Nations / Jordi Savall – Alcione – Tragédie Lyrique 1706 (2020)
[Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF-Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
3x Discs / Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet
Total Size: 8.38 GB (ISO) + 25.11 GB (DSF) + 10.3 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Aliavox | EU | Cat#: AVSA9939 | Genre: Classical

The last great “tragedy in music” of the reign of Louis XIV, Alcione, is a total spectacle at the crossroads of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, from which it takes the mythological source, its praise of the sovereign’s glory, and the literary requirement to combine choreography and stage movements. Jordi Savall, rediscoverer of Marais’ work, brings this creative freedom back to life for Alcione’s first stage production in Paris since 1771. Continue reading “Marin Marais / Le Concert Des Nations / Jordi Savall – Alcione – Tragédie Lyrique 1706 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Alexander Scriabin / Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev – Symphony No. 1 / The Poem Of Ecstasy (2015) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Alexander Scriabin / Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev - Symphony No. 1 / The Poem Of Ecstasy (2015) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Alexander Scriabin / Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev
Symphony No. 1 / The Poem Of Ecstasy (2015) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet
Total Size: 3.92 GB (ISO) + 10.9 GB (DSF) + 4.29 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: PentaTone | Netherlands | Cat#: PTC 5186 514 | Genre: Classical

Alexander Scriabin’s development as a composer was marked by dramatic changes in his style, from the rather direct Romanticism of his Symphony No. 1 in E major to the more harmonically complex and mystical music of his middle and late phases, represented here by the Poem of Ecstasy (Symphony No. 4). This multichannel hybrid SACD recording by Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra presents both works in luscious state-of-the-art sound, which brings out the richness of Scriabin’s orchestration and puts both pieces in a spacious acoustic that allows them to have their proper impact. Continue reading “Alexander Scriabin / Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev – Symphony No. 1 / The Poem Of Ecstasy (2015) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Chopin / Kempf – Chopin: Études Opp. 10 & 25 (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Chopin / Kempf - Chopin: Études Opp. 10 & 25 (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Chopin / Kempf – Chopin: Études Opp. 10 & 25 (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet
Total Size: 2.99 GB (ISO) + 3.31 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Bis | Sweden | Cat#: BIS-SACD-1390 | Genre: Classical

Playing a rather brilliant Steinway D instrument at the Academy of Music, Stockholm, in 2003, British pianist Freddy Kempf (b. 1977) makes a lyrical and aggressive contribution to the long line of virtuosos who traverse these familiar sets of etudes. Engineer Jens Braun pushes the sonic envelope to the brink, with the C# Minor, Op. 10, No. 4 threatening to shatter at the extreme ends, but it all works nicely. The whole disc, in fact, is an audiophile model for rich, pointed, and balanced piano sound. Continue reading “Chopin / Kempf – Chopin: Études Opp. 10 & 25 (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Arvo Pärt / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier With Christopher Bowers-Broadbent – Da Pacem (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Arvo Pärt / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier With Christopher Bowers-Broadbent - Da Pacem (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Arvo Pärt / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier With Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
Da Pacem (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Digital Booklet
Total Size: 3.33 GB (ISO) + 3.53 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Harmonia Mundi | Germany | Cat#: HMU 807401 | Genre: Classical

This collection of short works by Arvo Pärt features a cappella music and some lightly accompanied by an organ. Conducting the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is Paul Hillier, one of Pärt’s most celebrated interpreters and the author of a book-length study of his music. Hillier came to Pärt from the field of early music, and in his notes he stresses affinities between Pärt and the composers of medieval and Renaissance eras. Continue reading “Arvo Pärt / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier With Christopher Bowers-Broadbent – Da Pacem (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 6 À 9 (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall - Revolution: Symphonies 6 À 9 (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 6 À 9 (2021)
[Hi-Res SACD Rip]
3x Discs / SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
3x Discs / FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel
Total Size: 7.84 GB (ISO) + 9.42 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Alia Vox | EU | Cat#: AVSA9946 | Genre: Classical

The period-instrument Beethoven symphony cycle from Le Concert des Nations and its conductor, Jordi Savall, was delayed multiple times by the COVID-19 pandemic, including by the affliction of Savall himself. It was completed in the fall of 2021, which, Savall points out, was still within the Beethoven 250th-anniversary year. Continue reading “Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 6 À 9 (2021) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 1 À 5 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall - Revolution: Symphonies 1 À 5 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 1 À 5 (2020)
[Hi-Res SACD Rip]
3x Discs / SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
3x Discs / FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel
Total Size: 7.97 GB (ISO) + 9.41 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Alia Vox | EU | Cat#: AVSA9937 | Genre: Classical

Given that Renaissance and Baroque specialist Jordi Savall is not necessarily the conductor to whom one would first turn for Beethoven, he is nevertheless a great musician whose opinion is worth listening to in any repertory. As one might expect, he has some unorthodox opinions in this survey of Beethoven’s first five symphonies (a complete set was planned but was at least temporarily cut short by the 2020 pandemic). Savall augments the 35 players of his Le Concert des Nations orchestra with 25 other young players for a total of 60, historically in line with what Beethoven would have expected. Continue reading “Beethoven / Le Concert Des nations / Jordi Savall – Revolution: Symphonies 1 À 5 (2020) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Lisztomania – Liszt Jazz (2018) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

John Di Martino's Romantic Jazz Trio - Lisztomania - Liszt Jazz (2018) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Lisztomania – Liszt Jazz (2018) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Total Size: 2.62 GB (ISO) + 1.25 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Venus Records | Japan | Cat#: VHGD-297 | Genre: Jazz

Lisztomania or Liszt fever was the intense fan frenzy directed toward Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886) during his performances. This frenzy first occurred in Berlin in 1841 and the writer Heinrich Heine coined the term Lisztomania to describe the outpouring of emotion that accompanied Liszt and his performances. Continue reading “John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Lisztomania – Liszt Jazz (2018) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Jazz Mozart (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

John Di Martino's Romantic Jazz Trio - Jazz Mozart (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Jazz Mozart (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Total Size: 2.21 GB (ISO) + 1.02 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Venus Records | Japan | Cat#: VHGD240 | Genre: Jazz, Classical

The trio session on Jazz Mozart features pianist John di Martino with double bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Ernesto Simpson in a program of some of Mozart’s more romantic pieces. The waltzes, in particular, carry a rewarding texture that allows for natural jazz interpretation. ‘The Fire of Passion’, for example, from the ‘Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor’, briskly ebbs and flows like the motion of our lungs, as we inhale the music’s secret. ‘Fantasy in D minor’ moves with a deliberate air that calls out tension and release in a passionate state. Continue reading “John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio – Jazz Mozart (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Ludwig Van Beethoven / The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra / Hannes Minnaar / Jan Willem de Vriend – The Complete Piano Concertos (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ludwig Van Beethoven / The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra / Hannes Minnaar / Jan Willem de Vriend - The Complete Piano Concertos (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ludwig Van Beethoven / The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra / Hannes Minnaar / Jan Willem de Vriend
The Complete Piano Concertos (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
3 x Discs / SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
3 x Discs / FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Scans Included
Total Size: 9.12 GB (ISO) + 9.92 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Challenge Classics | Netherlands | Cat#: CC72763 | Genre: Classical

This box contains Beethoven’s five Piano Concertos performed by Hannes Minnaar, with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jan Willem de Vriend, across 3 SACDs. The Third Concerto is released here for the first time. Hannes Minnaar is now recognized as a leading pianist of his generation after these Beethoven’s recordings, but also following his very successful Faur recital (CC72731) and his recording of all Beethoven’s Sonatas for Piano and Violin with Isabelle van Keulen (CC72650). Continue reading “Ludwig Van Beethoven / The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra / Hannes Minnaar / Jan Willem de Vriend – The Complete Piano Concertos (2017) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Georg Friedrich Händel / The Bach Choir & The English Concert / David Hill – The People Shall Hear! Great Händel Choruses (2009) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Georg Friedrich Händel / The Bach Choir & The English Concert / David Hill - The People Shall Hear! Great Händel Choruses (2009) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Georg Friedrich Händel / The Bach Choir & The English Concert / David Hill – The People Shall Hear! Great Händel Choruses (2009) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | No Scans
Total Size: 2.90 GB (ISO) + 3.42 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: BIS | EU | Cat#: BIS-SACD-1736 | Genre: Classical

Despite the fact that he wrote a large number of operas and instrumental works, Handel is often perceived as a choral composer – or, more specifically, as the composer of the Hallelujah chorus. That particular piece is of course included on the present disc – as is He saw the lovely youth from Theodora, which Handel himself is reported to have preferred to Hallelujah, and indeed to all of his other choruses. Continue reading “Georg Friedrich Händel / The Bach Choir & The English Concert / David Hill – The People Shall Hear! Great Händel Choruses (2009) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Luciano Pavarotti – Ti Adoro (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Luciano Pavarotti - Ti Adoro (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Luciano Pavarotti – Ti Adoro (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.63 GB (ISO) + 4.02 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Decca | Germany | Cat#: 470 635-2 | Genre: Classical

Luciano Pavarotti has long avoided doing the kind of solo crossover release often proffered by his Three Tenors comrades Plácido Domingo and José Carreras; indeed, in his liner introduction he claims that he was initially “very skeptical” of this project. He came around, though, and the result marks his first solo album of any kind in years. Catty opera cognoscenti hoping for an embarrassment may be gratified by a few booklet photos (keep that shirt on, Luciano!), but otherwise they’re out of luck. Continue reading “Luciano Pavarotti – Ti Adoro (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Richard Wagner / The Cleveland Orchestra / Szell – Wagner: Great Orchestral Highlights From The Ring Of The Nibelungs (1999) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Richard Wagner / The Cleveland Orchestra / Szell - Wagner: Great Orchestral Highlights From The Ring Of The Nibelungs (1999) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Richard Wagner / The Cleveland Orchestra / Szell – Wagner: Great Orchestral Highlights From The Ring Of The Nibelungs (1999) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
No Scans Included
Total Size: 3.62 GB (ISO) + 3.12 GB (DSF) + 1.42 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Sony Classical | US | Cat#: SS 89035 | Genre: Classical
Continue reading “Richard Wagner / The Cleveland Orchestra / Szell – Wagner: Great Orchestral Highlights From The Ring Of The Nibelungs (1999) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Richard Wagner / Hansjörg Albrecht – Der Ring: An Organ Transcription (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Richard Wagner / Hansjörg Albrecht - Der Ring: An Organ Transcription (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Richard Wagner / Hansjörg Albrecht – Der Ring: An Organ Transcription (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.45 GB (ISO) + 10.4 GB (DSF) + 4 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Oehms Classics | Germany | Cat#: OC-612 | Genre: Classical

Adapting orchestral music for the organ can be a tricky matter, and few transcriptions work ideally despite the similarity of the organ’s varied stops to the instruments of the orchestra and its capacity to imitate an orchestra’s massed forces and wide dynamic range. However, when the music happens to be arrangements of excerpts from Richard Wagner’s opera tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen the trickiness of the project becomes even more obvious, for the difficulties of these complex orchestral pieces are only compounded when transferred to the organ. Continue reading “Richard Wagner / Hansjörg Albrecht – Der Ring: An Organ Transcription (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Ola Gjeilo / Phoenix Chorale / Charles Bruffy – Northern Lights: Choral Works By Ola Gjeilo (2012) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ola Gjeilo / Phoenix Chorale / Charles Bruffy - Northern Lights: Choral Works By Ola Gjeilo (2012) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ola Gjeilo / Phoenix Chorale / Charles Bruffy – Northern Lights: Choral Works By Ola Gjeilo (2012)
[Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
DSF Tracks / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Stereo & Multichannel | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.16 GB (ISO) + 8.43. GB (DSF) + 3.41 GB (FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Chandos | UK | Cat#: CHSA 5100 | Genre: Classical, Choral

Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, born in 1978, received his training at Juilliard and has made New York his base of operations. This 2012 CD includes almost all of his published works for mixed voices to date. He served as composer-in-residence with the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale, which performs his music here under the leadership of Charles Bruffy. Gjeilo uses exclusively sacred texts, set mostly in Latin, except for English translations of two texts by St. Augustine and St. John of the Cross. Continue reading “Ola Gjeilo / Phoenix Chorale / Charles Bruffy – Northern Lights: Choral Works By Ola Gjeilo (2012) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”